Which UNESCO body inscribed Songkran in Thailand as intangible cultural heritage in 2023?

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed Songkran in Thailand in 2023.

This committee operates under UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It evaluates nominations for the Representative List, the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

Songkran’s inscription concerns cultural practices transmitted within Thai communities, including ritual water use, family observances, temple activities, and traditional forms of celebration. It is not a World Heritage designation for a building, monument, or natural site.

That distinction is a common source of confusion. UNESCO uses different international programs for tangible sites and living cultural traditions. The World Heritage Committee deals with cultural and natural properties, while the Intergovernmental Committee handles the 2003 intangible-heritage framework.